Skip to main content
Elsevier

Books in Physics

Physics titles offer comprehensive research and advancements across the fundamental and applied areas of physical science. From quantum mechanics and particle physics to astrophysics and materials science, these titles drive innovation and deepen understanding of the principles governing the universe. Essential for researchers, educators, and students, this collection supports scientific progress and practical applications across a diverse range of physics disciplines.

  • Electronic Properties of Crystalline Solids

    An Introduction to Fundamentals
    • 1st Edition
    • Richard Bube
    • English
    Electronic Properties of Crystalline Solids: An Introduction to Fundamentals discusses courses in the electronic properties of solids taught in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University. The book starts with a brief review of classical wave mechanics, discussing concept of waves and their role in the interactions of electrons, phonons, and photons. The book covers the free electron model for metals, and the origin, derivation, and properties of allowed and forbidden energy bands for electrons in crystalline materials. It also examines transport phenomena and optical effects in crystalline materials, including electrical conductivity, scattering phenomena, thermal conductivity, Hall and thermoelectric effects, magnetoresistance, optical absorption, photoconductivity, and other photoelectronic effects in both ideal and real materials. This book is intended for upper-level undergraduates in a science major, or for first- or second-year graduate students with an interest in the scientific basis for our understanding of properties of materials.

  • The Optics of Rays, Wavefronts, and Caustics

    • 1st Edition
    • O Stavroudis
    • English
    The Optics of Rays, Wavefronts, and Caustics presents the fundamental principles of geometrical optics and its unique role in modern technology. It also discusses the procedures used in optical design, which are based on geometrical optics. Organized into 16 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the underlying general mathematical facts, which constitute the substance of geometrical optics. It then presents the various techniques used to solve the ray and wavefront problems in general inhomogeneous medium. Other chapters consider the concept of ray tracing as a tool for calculating the principal curvatures of a wavefront as it propagates through a lens. In addition, the book tackles several topics, including the aspects of lens design, as well as a system of equations that are similar to the Maxwell equations. The last chapter deals with orthotomic systems of rays. Optical designers, optical physicists, theoretical physicists, and mathematicians will find the information and methods in this book extremely useful.

  • Chemical Sensing with Solid State Devices

    • 1st Edition
    • Marc J. Madou + 1 more
    • English
    This book is a lucid presentation for chemists, electrical engineers, surface scientists, and solid-state physicists, of the fundamentals underlying the construction of simple and small chemical sensors. The first part of the book is a review of the theoretical background in solid state physics, chemistry and electronics. Semiconductor and solid electrolyte bulk models are reviewed as well as solid/gas and solid/liquid interface models. Membranes and catalysis theory are also covered expansively. The second part is a discussion of more complete sensor devices, their essential components, and of the important developments in this area over the last fifteen to twenty years. The book provides guidance through the multidisciplinary world of chemical sensors. It should be understandable to students with some training in physics and chemistry and a general knowledge of electronics. Finally, comments on economic considerations in the development of new sensor products and suggestionsfor future research and development should be of value to company R&D planners.

  • Synapse, Neuron, Brain

    • 1st Edition
    • A.C. Damask
    • English
    Synapse, Neuron, Brain, the third and last volume in the series Medical Physics, focuses on neurons and their interactions. Comprised of seven chapters regarding the brain's synapses and nerves, this volume concludes through the presentation of medical physics and its applications. An introductory chapter of this volume provides the necessary basic concepts and theories needed in the understanding of the book. This is followed by a discussion on the brain and its interconnections with the spinal cord. Chapter 3 focuses on the importance of evoked potentials as a diagnostic tool for the sensory organ and the neural processing of the stimuli. Chemical and electrical properties of synapses are also given emphasis. Other topics covered in this volume include the rall theory and neuronal integration; membrane noise at synaptic junctions; and new techniques on brain studies (autoradiography, positron annihilation, and nuclear magnetic resonance). As with the other volumes, this also caters to persons in various disciplines such as medicine, physiology, physics, and biology.

  • Symmetry in Bonding and Spectra

    An Introduction
    • 1st Edition
    • Bodie E. Douglas + 1 more
    • English
    Many courses dealing with the material in this text are called "Applications of Group Theory." Emphasizing the central role and primary importance of symmetry in the applications, Symmetry in Bonding and Spectra enables students to handle applications, particularly applications to chemical bonding and spectroscopy. It contains the essential background in vectors and matrices for the applications, along with concise reviews of simple molecular orbital theory, ligand field theory, and treatments of molecular shapes, as well as some quantum mechanics. Solved examples in the text illustrate theory and applications or introduce special points. Extensive problem sets cover the important methods and applications, with the answers in the appendix.

  • Nonlinear Electromagnetics

    • 1st Edition
    • Piergiorgio Uslenghi
    • English
    Nonlinear Electromagnetics is a collection of research papers from different areas of study related to the nonlinear phenomena in electromagnetism. The book, after giving a short introduction to some mathematical techniques for nonlinear problems, covers related topics such as the history of particle physics; a physical description of the spectral transform; solitons in randomly inhomogenous media; and localized wave fields in nonlinear dispersive media. Also covered in this book are topics such as non-linear plasma-wave interaction; Lagrangian methods; electromagnetic problems in composite materials in linear and nonlinear regimes; and stationary regimes in passive nonlinear methods. The text is recommended for physicists and engineers interested in the development and applications of nonlinear electromagnetic and the mathematical expressions behind it.

  • Seismology: Body Waves and Sources

    • 1st Edition
    • Bruce Bolt
    • English
    Methods in Computational Physics, Volume 12: Seismology: Body Waves and Sources is a six-chapter text that covers the numerical solution of some major problems on seismic body wave propagation and generation in the Earth. Chapter 1 considers the power of the computer to trace out detailed seismic response by means of ray theory, based from the results gathered in Soviet Union and the Continent. Chapter 2 exposes the finite difference methods employed to obtain complete theoretical seismograms for a source in a layered half-space, in wedges, and in a sphere, along with an outline of normal mode solutions for a source in a sphere and the ray expansion method. Chapter 3 discusses the theory and method of solution of the signals diffracted by the Earth's core using the response integral, the differential equations, and boundary conditions. This chapter deals also with the method of finding numerically the reflection coefficient in an inhomogeneous model. Chapter 4 describes a method for finding seismic velocity distributions that fit a given set of data and having found such distributions how to quantitatively assess their degree of uncertainty, such as their uniqueness. Chapter 5 surveys the theory of an observational technique for studying earthquake mechanism, while Chapter 6 provides a summary of theories of seismology and the important computational techniques together with some of their applications to seismic-source studies. This book will be greatly appreciated by geoscientists, physicists, and mathematicians.

  • Higher Excited States of Polyatomic Molecules

    • 1st Edition
    • Melvin Robin
    • English
    Higher Excited States of Polyatomic Molecules, Volume I focuses on the spectra in the vacuum-ultraviolet region between 50,000 and 100,000 cm-1. This book explores the higher excitations in molecules beyond 50,000 cm-1. Organized into three chapters, this volume starts with an overview of the excited-state properties of a molecule and the excited-state ionization potential. This book then proceeds with a discussion of the original classification of the properties as well as the types of excitations observed in the vacuum-ultraviolet. Other chapters discuss photoelectron spectroscopy, which is an independent, self-sustaining branch of molecular spectroscopy. This text examines as well the distinction between valence shell and Rydberg excitations. The final chapter deals with several topics, including the saturated molecules that are classified as having all valence electrons, the alkene absorption spectra, and the spectroscopic data on boron compounds. Analytical chemists, photochemists, molecular spectroscopists, and researchers will find this book extremely useful.

  • Defect Control in Semiconductors

    • 1st Edition
    • K. Sumino
    • English
    Defect control in semiconductors is a key technology for realizing the ultimate possibilities of modern electronics. The basis of such control lies in an integrated knowledge of a variety of defect properties. From this viewpoint, the volume discusses defect-related problems in connection with defect control in semiconducting materials, such as silicon, III-V, II-VI compounds, organic semiconductors, heterostructure, etc.The conference brought together scientists in the field of fundamental research and engineers involved in application related to electronic devices in order to promote future research activity in both fields and establish a fundamental knowledge of defect control. The main emphasis of the 254 papers presented in this volume is on the control of the concentration, distribution, structural and electronic states of any types of defects including impurities as well as control of the electrical, optical and other activities of defects. Due to the extensive length of the contents, only the number of papers presented per session is listed below.

  • Ultrasonics of High-Tc and Other Unconventional Superconductors

    • 1st Edition
    • Moises Levy
    • English
    Physical Acoustics, Volume XX: Ultrasonics of High-Tc and Other Unconventional Superconductors covers the many acoustic studies of the high-Tc superconductors. This book is composed of 10 chapters that include some unconventional superconducting systems, such as superfluid 3He, heavy Fermion superconductors, and magnetic re-entrant superconductors. The introductory chapter summarizes the results that have been observed in Bardeen, Cooper, and Schriefer superconductors as functions both of temperature and magnetic field. The subsequent chapters deal with the theoretical and experimental aspects of ultrasonic study of some unconventional superconductors. Considerable chapters are devoted to the measurements with sound waves on the sintered high-Tc superconducting systems. These chapters examine first the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the velocity and elastic constants in sintered high-Tc superconductors, as well as the sound absorption and dispersion measurements on single crystals of these superconductors. Discussions on the small-sample resonant ultrasound technique that uses thin piezoelectric films and the effect of oxygen on superconducting properties and the response of sound to these additions are also provided in these chapters. The concluding chapter presents a theoretical foundation for sound measurements in the superconducting state, emphasizing the effects of multigap structures and gas anisotropy on sound attenuation in the superconducting state of the cuprate superconductors. This volume will be of great benefit to researchers in the fields of electronics technology and in applied and engineering mechanics.

Related subjects